We are pleased to announce a new, online edition of the NICAS colloquium on Thursday 8 September 2022 from 12.00 to 13.00 hrs. The colloquium will take place online through Microsoft Teams.
Throughout the year, NICAS organises a bi-weekly Colloquium consisting of two short research lectures. It provides researchers with the opportunity to present ideas for, updates on or results of their activities. The NICAS Colloquium allows people to stay informed on a regular basis about the latest developments and results of research and to exchange information and expertise.
The chair of this colloquium is Nouchka de Keyser (Rijksmuseum)
The presenters are:
► Jorien Duivenvoorden – Behaviour of water in oil paint
Abstract:
It is increasingly recognised that water plays an important role in chemical degradation of oil paint, yet little is known about the concentration and distribution of water inside a painting. This talk will discuss two different approaches to enhance our understanding of an oil painting’s response to moisture. One way to look at a painting is as a multi-layered system, in which moisture transport takes place due to humidity fluctuations in the environment. We developed a computational model that predicts the behaviour of a multi-layered painting by considering the bulk sorption and diffusion properties of the individual layers. This approach assumes the layers to be homogeneous, even though from a molecular perspective, oil paint is a heterogeneous system consisting of a complex cross-linked polymer network interspersed with pigment particles The second part of this talk will therefore discuss our experimental approach to elucidate the local distribution and character of water inside oil paint on a molecular scale.
Bio:
Jorien Duivenvoorden obtained a BSc in Chemistry from the University of Amsterdam and an MA in Conservation of Wall Painting from the Courtauld Institute of Art in London. She is currently a PhD student at the Rijksmuseum and the Van ‘t Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences at the University of Amsterdam, supervised by prof. dr. Katrien Keune and dr. Joen Hermans. Jorien is investigating chemical conditions inside oil paint that lead to degradation.
► Ida Fazlic – Lead formates: from model to historical paints
Abstract:
In 2019, within Operation Night Watch, structural imaging of The Night Watch, painted by Rembrandt van Rijn in 1642 was implemented at the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, using macro X-ray diffraction (MA-XRPD). Among the detected phases, unexpectedly, lead (II) formate Pb(CHO2)2 was found. Based on the macro imaging results, samples were taken in several areas of interest and analyzed by means of synchrotron micro X-ray diffraction (SR-µ-XRPD), confirming the presence of lead formates.
To tackle the origin of lead formates in oil paintings, model paints were prepared and analyzed with a set of optical, molecular (µ-FTIR) and structural (SR-µ-XRPD) microprobes. The objectives of the investigation were to follow the early formation of lead formates, their long term stability, but also their 2D spatial distribution.
By comparing the results obtained on model paints to those obtained on historical micro fragments, new clues into the origin of lead formates in The Night Watch can be proposed.
Bio:
Ida Fazlic obtained her masters degree in Conservation Science and Technology for Cultural Heritage at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice in 2020 after which she started her PhD at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, in collaboration with the Rijksmuseum and AkzoNobel, at the Univesity of Amsterdam. She focuses on the interaction of driers and binders in historical and contemporary paints under the supervision of Marine Cotte, Katrien Keune, Bas de Bruin and Jitte Flapper.